Russia: Ulan-Ude to Kyakhta Pt. 1
Reflections on Russia 11-20
#11 There is a very garlicky grated carrot salad that is truly delicious.
#12 Hoegaarden is easily purchasable – yum.
#13 There’s basically one main road that runs from Vladivostok to ‘the west’ that varies considerably in degrees of quality. Parts are fabulous – long and wide that stretch onwards like a Roman road. Others parts are very badly potholed and literally falling to parts. Then there are the parts that are being rebuilt. The problem is, unlike England, there are no other roads on which they can create a diversion. So you literally drive on the roadworks, surrounded by huge road-building machinery, sometimes for several miles and often on extremely rough road surfaces. It’s a bone-rattling experience!
Reflections on Russia 1-10
#1 I rock this look too so there’s no judgement whatsoever – the socks and sandal look is quite popular here! As is men in camouflage.
#2 I’ve always been a big fan of borscht. It varies in quality but I’ve yet to have one that isn’t tasty.
#3 Sour cream is a popular accompaniment to most dishes.
Russia Route: Stage 3
Death to all Mosquitoes
Six tried and tested methods of execution:
#1 Mr Miyagi – (1984 Karate Kid) – when it looks like you are only grabbing handfuls of thin air, but, as you uncoil your hand, you have actually caught a mosquito in mid flight and crushed it to death in one swift movement. This method is no doubt the coolest and deserves utmost respect.
#2 Nosferatu – (1922 vampire film) – when you splat a mosquito mid meal leaving a smear of blood on the skin. A bitter sweet ending maybe?
#3 The Guillotine – after splatting a mosquito on the wall you realise that you have cleanly and neatly dissected him into two or more neat parts.
#4 Splat-and-Smear – when a mosquito is flying between the roof of the car and the mosquito net. From a lying down position, with palm facing upwards, you splat. And then, not even sure if you have got him, you nevertheless smear by dragging your palm some three or four inches in any direction. This does have the downside of leaving an unsightly mess on the roof but is so worth it.
#5 The Stun-Gun – when you have splattered the mosquito and he literally falls, like a lead balloon, into the abyss below leaving no residue or trace behind.
#6 The Tweezer – you must merely stun the mosquito first and then, holding him in your fingers and being careful to not crush and kill him, you slowly and sadistically pluck each body part off him one by one. Enough said.
Enjoy 🙂
Service With(out) A Smile
Dotted along the main roads are service stations that mostly cater to long distance lorry drivers. The buildings themselves vary in size and grandeur but they all feature a massive forecourt for the enormous lorries that frequent them. They vary in quality but all serve food and drink and provide toilets. A few also have showers, laundry and accommodation attached. Sometimes the toilets are clean and maintained, other times they are gross! (Toilets could be the subject of a whole blog entry!) You have to pay for showers (about £1.50); laundry is a washing machine (again about £1.50); whilst most people sleep in their vehicle, there are also sometimes bunkbeds in a shared dorm or rooms on the upper floors.
Russia: Khabarovsk -> Ulan-Ude Pt. 2
Russia: Khabarovsk -> Ulan-Ude Pt. 1
Russia: Time-lapse movies
Since arriving in Russia, we’ve been driving in convoy with a Japanese couple we met on the ferry. Aside from making some new friends, it also gave us the chance to mount our camera on their car and make some time-lapse films. Neither of us were really sure what to expect, but they came out really well and give a good sense of the landscape.